1. Field of the Invention
Preferred embodiments of the present invention are directed to formulations and methods for cleaning and treating materials, including wood, painted or treated surfaces, tile, stone, ceramics, fiberglass, plastic, metal, especially household and building materials, to remove mold and render the materials resistant to mold growth.
2. Description of the Related Art
The growth of mold (fungi) in structures, including homes, has become an officially-recognized source of serious illness. Mold, e.g., black mold (stachybotrys chartarum), has been found to cause flu-like and allergy-like symptoms. Skin rashes, inflammation of the respiratory tract, bloody noses, fever, headaches, neurological problems, and suppression of the immune system have all been linked to exposure to black mold. Its presence causes serious health problems, especially among children, and it has been blamed for several deaths. Various factors, including excessive moisture due to structural and drainage problems, encourage mold growth. In residential and commercial structures mold has been found to grow within walls, in carpeting and underlying padding, on sheetrock, and in insulation in walls and ceilings. Certain synthetic “stucco” construction materials have been found to trap moisture behind walls, resulting in a perfect breeding ground for mold. There have been numerous lawsuits involving mold growth in structures as a result of water leaks and improper drainage.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution ran a two part article entitled “Sick Buildings/A Special Report” on Jul. 20-21, 2003, in which illnesses, including rashes, sinus problems, flu-like conditions, and chronic respiratory illness were among the health problems associated with indoor mold. The article cited a 1994 study in which Dr. Dorr Dearborn and Dr. Ruth Etzel, an epidemiologist with Atlanta's Center for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) noted a pattern of pulmonary hemorrhage in Cleveland infants which were attributed to stachybotrys chartarum and other molds. The article further cited a 1998 study by Dr. Eckardt Johanning, a physician at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in which he studied 151 patients who had been exposed to mold and found about half of them had central nervous system complaints, such as concentration problems, dizziness, and fatigue.
While all researchers are not convinced that there has been adequate study of the relationship of mold to illness, 17 states have introduced legislation related to mold, and there is a bill pending in Congress to study health problems caused by mold, and the CDC has asked the Institute of Medicine, a national advisory group, to study the medical damage from mold.
While some people do appear to be bothered by mold more than others, all varieties have the potential to cause illness. Mold triggers allergic reactions, asthma attacks, fungal infections in the lungs of people with chronic medical conditions, and hypersensitivity pneumonitis, an inflammation of the lungs. Some molds, e.g., Stachybotrys chartarum, are known to produce toxins that can be inhaled. In 1999 doctors at the Mayo Clinic concluded that mold may be responsible for a majority of the sinus infections in the United States.
As mold has been found to affect people in a variety of detrimental ways, a simple, effective, inexpensive formulation and method for cleaning existing mold and suppressing and/or eliminating mold would be very desirable.